By Angie Peltier, UMN Extension crops educator, Anna Cates, UMN Extension soil health specialist and Ryan Miller and Dave Nicolai UMN Extension crops educators January 22, 2025, was a first for the University of Minnesota Extension’s Strategic Farming: Let’s Talk Crops program in that it was broadcast live, not from Extension offices throughout Minnesota, but from one of the largest agricultural conferences in Minnesota each year, the Minnesota Ag Expo in Mankato. Hosted by UMN Extension crops educators Ryan Miller and Dave Nicolai, the program featured Anna Cates, UMN Extension soil health specialist, Warren Formo, executive director of the Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center, Joe Smentek, executive director of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and Dan Coffman, Minnesota soil health specialist for the Conservation Technology Information Center discussing sustainable aviation fuel and other conservation topics. This was the third weekly episode of the 2025 Strategic Fa...
Fusarium head blight in oat. Photo: Jafar Razzaghian (NIBIO) Yes, that is correct. Generally, when we hear about Fusarium head blight (scab) issues or risk of scab and management decisions to be considered, we are talking about spring wheat and barley. Summer 2024, concerns in spring barley and wheat were certainly the case, but fast forward to fall of 2024 and spring wheat and barley were not the only crops with issues. Significant infections had occurred in oats and contamination of harvested grain was a concern. Fusarium head blight (scab) is caused by several fungal species in the Fusarium genus and is of particular importance because the disease can contaminate harvested grain with deoxynivalenol (DON). DON, a vomitoxin, is an important mycotoxin that can negatively impact human and livestock health. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a 1 part per million (ppm) DON tolerance in oats to be milled for human consumption. FDA also recommends that DON concentratio...